- Renovation costs currently estimated at $37-$38 million, potentially rising to $40 million with outstanding bills
Minister of Finance Camilo Gonsalves told the St. Vincent Times on Tuesday that while the cost to renovate the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground may be slightly over budget, it is nowhere near $50 million USD or EC.
There was much concern following the announcement by the head of the LOC, Mike Findlay, on Monday that the budget was about USD $50 million; however, Findlay told the St. Vincent Times on Tuesday that this was an error on his part.
According to Gonsalves, Parliament approved a budget totaling $35 million. The $35 million was split between the 2023 allocation and a special warrant in the budget for this year of about $15 million.
“It is true to say that we might be slightly over budget, but the latest numbers that I have seen are about $37-$38 million. Now, if you tell me that we have some outstanding bills totaling up to $40 million, I’ll agree; however, the numbers we were working with are approximately $38 million.”
Gonsalves told this publication that the largest single component are the stadium lights, which cost over $10 million.
“The stadium lighting is the largest component of the budget, amounting to approximately E.C. $13 million. Well, actually 12.8 million, but I’m just rounding up. So, the stadium lighting is just under $13 million. The digital display screen, screen, and installation cost approximately E.C. $2.4 million. As a result, we spent $15 million on lights and a large digital screen out of a total budget of $35 million.”
”After that, the big items are the refurbishment of the various stands, so we refurbished all the seats in the Mike Findlay Pavilion. We demolished the roof on the P.H. Viera stand and constructed a new one. We also repainted, cleaned, and reinstalled all the seats in the double-decker stand. We repaired the roof of a double-decker stand and enhanced all the seats and VIP boxes in the Frank Thomas stand.”
“The lights and the screen account for 15 million out of the 35 million, while an additional $8 million is allocated for upgrading the various stands, resulting in a total expenditure of approximately 23 to 24 million.” We allocate the remaining funds to various components, including electrical infrastructure, ICT infrastructure, audiovisual equipment, drainage work, necessary field equipment, and gymnasium equipment. Additionally, they cover the costs of upgrading practice venues, Arnos Vale Two, and Sion Hill playing fields.”
Gonsalves said that since they had the providers and contractors for additional seating and outfield preparation on the island, the government also decided to expend some of the monies to upgrade other grounds, including the Cumberland playing field, buying furniture, and some other smaller items all relating to the World Cup.
